What is Irony?
Irony is a literary device where the chosen words are intentionally used to indicate a meaning other
than the literal one. Irony is often mistaken for sarcasm. Sarcasm is actually a form of verbal irony,
but sarcasm is intentionally insulting. When you say, "Oh, great" after your drink has spilled all over
your expensive new clothes, you don't actually mean that the incident is positive. Here, using the word
'great' ironically indicates a higher negative implication, even though the wording is positive.
Breaking Down 3 Types of Irony
Verbal Irony The use of words to mean something different than what they appear to mean.
Situational Irony The difference between what is expected to happen and what actually happens.
Dramatic Irony When the audience is more aware of what is happening than a character.
Examples of Verbal Irony
This type of irony comes to play when a speaker says one thing, but means another.
That sounds a lot like sarcasm, doesn't it? Let's say we were reading about a character who was afraid of
heights. One day, her boyfriend surprises her with two tickets for a hot air balloon ride. She replies with,
"Wow, I can't wait!" Would you think that's verbal irony or sarcasm? It's actually verbal irony. This form
of irony occurs when a character says one thing, but means another. Sarcasm comes into play when a witty
attack or somewhat derogatory statement is made.
Here are two examples of verbal irony and two examples of sarcasm:
A writer is working on his manuscript, and it's a comedy. The days have been fraught with rain and
clouds, bringing down his mood and hampering his ability to craft witty scenes. As he opens his blinds
one morning, he sees the dark clouds outside again and says, "Great. Another rainy day. How
wonderful.”
A woman has a Saint Bernard with a massive drooling problem. She tries to keep him off the sofa, but he
loves pretending he's a lap dog. One night, he trots over to her and places a gigantic paw on her lap. He's
looking at her with those sad brown eyes. “All right," she says. "You know how I just love dog drool on
my sofa.”
In the episode of Friends where the friends got to London for Ross and Emily’s wedding, Chandler says,
"I'm so glad we're having this rehearsal dinner. You know, I so rarely get to practice my meals before I
eat them."
A snobbish woman - who perceives moonstone to be a poor man's gemstone - is given a pair of
moonstone earrings by her fiancé. When she opens the box, she says, "Thank you, honey. I
just love moonstones. They're so - simple."
The first two examples are verbal irony, the second two are sarcasm. Did you spot the difference?
Sarcasm is meaner, more derogatory or condescending.
Examples of Situational Irony
This type of irony occurs when something happens that is completely different from what was
expected. Usually, these instances incorporate some type of contradiction and a certain level of shock
- for both the characters and the readers.
A fire station burns down
The marriage counsellor files for divorce
The police station gets robbed
Posting on Facebook complaining how useless Facebook is
The traffic cop got his license suspended because of unpaid parking tickets
A pilot had a fear of heights
The teacher failed the test
An anti-technology website
A child runs away from someone throwing a water balloon at him and falls into the pool.
An ambulance driver speeds to the scene of a bicycle accident. As he whips around a corner, he runs
over the victim's legs, not realizing she'd crawled to the centre of the road with her bike.
The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin tells the tale of a wife who learned her husband was dead. She
felt a sense of freedom, thinking about her new life out from under his thumb. Suddenly, the husband
returns (he never was dead) and she dies of shock.
A man has been working hard all his life, saving a portion of every pay-check for retirement. Upon
retirement he plans to move to the Virgin Islands, sit back and relax. On the morning of this retirement
party, he dies of a sudden, massive heart attack.
Examples of Dramatic Irony
Dramatic irony is used when the audience knows more about what's going on than the characters. This
creates suspense, or humour, as the audience waits to see if the characters will come to understand
what's really happening. Dramatic irony heightens the audience's anticipation, hopes, or fears.
Have you ever read a novel where the narrator was omniscient (knew what every character was
thinking and feeling)? These are great setups for dramatic irony.
A woman thinks her boyfriend is about to break up with her. He hasn't been himself lately, acting
distracted and distant. We know he bought her an engagement ring and is nervous she won't say
yes. He calls her one afternoon and simply says, "I need to see you. Meet me at Columbus Square
at six o'clock." She's sure he's going to leave her. But when she arrives, he's set up a beautiful
proposal with a string quartet, dozens of roses, and a huge sparkler of a diamond.
In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Macbeth appears to be loyal to Duncan, but he is actually
plotting his murder. Duncan doesn't know Macbeth's plans, but the audience knows what is going
to happen.
George Orwell makes full use of dramatic irony in Animal Farm. Throughout the book the reader
knows many crucial facts that the characters are not aware of. Such as the animals believing
Boxer was sent to the hospital, when the reader knows the pigs sold him to the slaughter house
and used the money to buy whiskey for themselves.
Dramatic irony has a nice place in both comedy and tragedy. As readers wait to see when the main
character will "catch on", suspense is building and the pages are turning.
